*Sly POV*
There we were, heading east across the Atlantic Ocean. Stowaways on a giant airborne fortress. Though time was short we made sure to study up on our unknowing host, Arpeggio.
While attending a prestigious boarding school, the young Arpeggio excelled at all subjects, but he never managed to keep up with the other boys physically. Sadly, his wings, due to their small size, were useless for flight. Furious at his feeble body, he focused his powerful mind to search for a cure in the works of the Italian Renaissance masters. Their notebooks provided the springboard for this sinister young genius.
Ultimately, he founded the Klaww Gang, becoming their leader and Chief Engineer. His talents must have been at work repurposing all the Clockwerk parts for their criminal schemes, and now this mastermind is in possession of all the parts. It's only a matter of time before he puts them back together, and when that happens...well, I'm not going to let that happen.
And not just that, he has my friend, my BROTHER as his hostage. And if he does anything to hurt him...well, it's better left unsaid.
"Ugh...where the hell am I?" Ben groaned. The last thing he remembered was Jean Bison throwing his staff with the Clockwerk Talons attached. Sly and Murray got badly knicked by the blades but they ended up wedging into his side. The shock of it all caused him to pass out right then and there before he even felt any pain.
As soon as his vision returned to normal, he saw a familiar face staring back at him, a smirk on her lips as he sighed.
"Well, looks like I'm your prisoner again, beautiful."
Neyla chuckled. "You should consider yourself lucky, sweetheart. Jean Bison was kind enough to have his men patch you up before airlifting you to the blimp. Then Arpeggio got to work on further healing the wounds."
Ben looked to see he had bandages surrounding the part where the talons stabbed him. There was surprisingly no blood, meaning Arpeggio must have done some truly impressive medical work.
"Alright, why save my life? Besides the fact you're so charmed by me?"
"Because Arpeggio wants you to witness the return of Clockwerk."
Ben's eyes widened in horror as Neyla helped him off the bed and led him outside to see Clockwerk, reassembled but inert. Despite not being alive, he still held a menacing aura of evil that made Ben's blood run cold.
"Ah, I see our guest is finally awake!" Came a polite voice as Ben and Neyla turned to see Arpeggio approach in his Birdcage Spider Walker. "I trust you are doing alright after Jean Bison's unfortunate incident with you?"
"Fit as a fiddle, but I'm not too pleased to see the surprise you had waiting for me."
Arpeggio just chuckled. "Ah, but you will soon enough. Once I bond with Clockwerk, I will be born anew and become the mighty bird I was always meant to be."
"Why do all this? Don't you realize the danger Clockwerk presents to the world at large? You're a smart guy, Arpeggio! You need to destroy him, now!"
Arpeggio clicked his tongue. "Sadly, I cannot do that. Not when there are so many possibilities to use his body for. When Neyla told me that she had confessed her true allegiance to you, I was quite worried you'd unravel our carefully laid plans, but alas, you still ended up doing all the work for us! Gathering the parts in one place so we could collect them!"
Ben looked at Neyla, who gave a sly grin she caressed his cheek. "Come now, love. Just because we were working together those previous few times didn't mean I was going to NOT do my original job."
"You guys don't know what you're dealing with..." Ben said dangerously. Before either Arpeggio or Neyla could reply, they heard a loud crashing and quickly rushed outside, Ben following beside them.
"What's all this then? The magnets have been reversed?!" Arpeggio gasped before realizing something. "But? ...By Jove, it seems to have locked the Clockwerk parts into place! Excellent!"
As Arpeggio moved to take a closer look, Sly jumped out in front of him, causing Neyla to get on the defensive while Ben smiled in relief at the sight of his blood brother.
"Sly Cooper!? Of course, this'd YOUR doing."
"Bro!" Sly cried as he and Ben locked eyes, relief flooding over them but Arpeggio spoke up before they could properly reunite.
"Ah, Mr. Cooper. No doubt you believed a reversal would pull the old bird apart, eh? But it seems to have had quite the opposite effect. I'm truly grateful... when fully powered up I'll join myself to its circuits and be born anew."
"Ben already told us what you were planning to do after he got the details from Neyla all the way back in Paris. You have no idea what you're messing with, Arpeggio." Sly said sternly with his arms folded and his eyes narrowed.
"Immortality! Immortality is what I seek. The other Klaww Gang members were much too short-sighted. They were satisfied using the Clockwerk parts to drive their various trivial schemes. But not me. No, I saw them for what they really were; The keys to life eternal!"
"Do you really want Immortality at the price of Clockwerk assimilating your mind and body into himself?! It's not worth it, Arpeggio!" Ben angrily said as Arpeggio scoffed.
"You never know unless you truly try for the first time. Neyla, be a dear and keep the boys covered, ta-ta!"
However, before Arpeggio could head towards Clockwerk, Neyla knocked him over.
"Sorry, Arpeggio. But if you think I'm going to let you have all the power and glory of controlling Clockwerk, you're dead wrong."
Neyla then turned to give Ben an apologetic look and he realized what she was about to do.
"NO, NEYLA, NO!"
But it was too late, Neyla entered Clockwerk's body, which began moving as life began breathing into it. While Ben and Sly watched in horror, Arpeggio let out an angry grunt.
"This is preposterous! You're my protege! Not the next in line for MY immortality! Now I demand you exit the Clockwerk frame or...Or..."
Neyla moved to use Clockwerk's beak to crush Arpeggio but suddenly, Ben rushed in front of her, using his bare hands to block her beak and hold it in place while channeling the superhuman strength of Sleigh MacCooper. As he did so, he stared into the eyes of Clockwerk, which flickered from gold to emerald to bloody red.
"Shigura...so nice to see you again..." Clockwerk's voice echoed before Neyla spoke over him.
"Oy! Move over, you old bird! This is MY body, now!"
Clockwerk's voice just chuckled. "Foolish girl, you thought you could hijack ME? Clockwerk is superior to all minds!
With that, Clockwerk knocked Ben aside and took flight, crashing through the front of the blimp, leaving a gaping hole in it as Ben and Sly looked out, the latter having picked up Arpeggio along the way.
"It's just as I feared...Clockwerk has already started reawakening and assimilating Neyla into his conscious. We need to get her out of there!" Ben said, his fists clenching as Sly turned to Arpeggio.
"Okay, Arpeggio, since Ben was kind enough to save your life despite all the trouble you and your gang have caused us, we need your help in how to stop Clockwerk."
Arpeggio couldn't help but sigh as he put his wings to his head. "Fine, I'll tell you boys all you need to know. The nerve of that girl! I practically raised her and this is how she repays me? Truly, this is the most sobering moment in my life!"
"You can have a pity party later, Polly!" Ben snapped. "We need your big brain to help us out! You know about Clockwerk more than anyone else. You've studied him, now tell us how we can break him!"
"Very well then, my boy. I at least owe you that much. To get more powerful, he'll need to draw power from the engines that keep this blimp aloft. I can lead you all to the main control center to turn off the main engines, weakening him while also turning off the autopilot. That should prevent this blimp from making its way to Paris. Then it'll be up to you to find out how to defeat that old bird and free Neyla."
"Hold on you guys!" Bentley chimed in through the comms. "I just got a radio signal from Carmelita. She said that she's commandeered a helicopter with a tail gun on it. You'll need to get the radio towers turned on so she can get to your location. I'll need Sly to get them turned on while Ben gets Arpeggio to help get the engines turned off."
"A necessary alliance..." Arpeggio sighed. "Alas, I cannot bring myself to hate Neyla for her betrayal. She has been deceiving others her whole life, it's all she's ever known, poor girl."
"Well, not before she met me. We actually hit it off, believe it or not." Ben said. "And besides, there are better options for flight than risking bonding with Clockwerk, as you probably already saw by now."
"I'd be delighted to hear the options you have, Mr. Shigura. Provided we make it out of this alive, of course."
Arpeggio led Ben to the main area of controlling the blimp, which just so happened to be in the center of the ship, at the bottom-most portion. He opened a secret hatch and the two made their way inside, seeing a ton of buttons and wires surrounding them.
"Well, wasn't expecting something like this."
Arpeggio hopped off Ben's shoulder and began flipping multiple switches, the blimp slowly turning off bit by bit including the autopilot, which caused it to just hover in place with no way to stop.
"There, that should do it. Now do be careful, my boy? This blimp is prohibitively expensive." Arpeggio said. Just as Ben was about to leave, he stopped him. "And one more thing; Why go out of your way to save my life?"
"There's a fine line between being a Thief and being Heartless..." Ben simply said as he led Arpeggio out of the area, the two gazing up to see the antenna above them glow brightly from the towers being turned on.
The two head back to the main area as Carmelita flew in, piloting an attack helicopter as she looked at Sly.
"Look, Sly, for once let's cut the flirty chit-chat and get down to business. I need an experienced tail gunner, jump in and grab the gun. We've got a bird to take down."
"And that's not flirty chit-chat?" Sly smirked, causing Ben to laugh in amusement as the three all piled into the helicopter.
"And don't worry about Arpeggio, he's on our side now. Neyla is HIS responsibility, after all." Ben reassured Carmelita as Arpeggio huffed in response.
"Very amusing, dear boy."
Sly took over control of the helicopter's gun turrets, opening fire on Clockwerk's body. The metal bird growled when he noticed the attack.
"Pathetic, Cooper. Once again having to rely on others in order to have a chance of stopping me."
Neyla tried overriding Clockwerk's control, the eyes glowing emerald green. "YOU DAMN BIRD! LET ME HAVE THIS BODY!"
"NO, FOOLISH CHILD! YOU CANNOT FATHOM THE HATRED THAT HAS KEPT ME ALIVE ALL THESE EONS!"
"They're really fighting it out!" Carmelita said as he saw Neyla and Clockwerk battling for control of the body. Thankfully, this allowed shooting it down much easier for Sly and soon, the damage became too much as Clockwerk began faltering.
"You should have been a cop! That was some terrific shooting!"
"Sly! Ben! We've got a serious problem here. Clockwerk is looking mighty upset and I think he's going to take it out on us." Bentley nervously said over the comms as Clockwerk flew over to where Bentley and Murray were and picked up the Safehouse in his talons.
"You guys get out of here so you don't get hit by debris. We're going after Clockwerk and saving our brothers!" Sly said as he and Ben dove out of the helicopter.
"They're mad!" Arpeggio exclaimed.
"IF WE WERE, THIS PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE WORKED!" Ben cried back as loud as he could before pulling out his Paraglider, Sly doing the same as they landed on Clockwerk's back, his head turning to face them, glitching between Neyla's emerald green and Clockwerk's hateful yellow and red.
"Ah, Cooper, Shigura, so good to once more gain the privilege of finishing you like your pathetic parents."
"Sorry, Clockwerk, but we beat you once and we'll beat you again! You may have just woken up, but we're putting you back to sleep!" Sly angrily said as he readied his cane while Ben took out his revolver and a Karambit Knife.
The two brothers struck at Clockwerk's head as he tried hitting them with energy blasts from his eyes but eventually, they managed to wear him down and he crashed near Paris, releasing Bentley and Murray as Ben and Sly used Time Stopper to get them out safely.
"Is everyone okay?" Ben asked as Bentley and Murray nodded. After catching their breath, the Cooper Gang saw Clockwerk's beaten body laying before them.
"We... we did it!" Sly gawked.
"RIGHT ON!" Murray smiled as he flexed.
"It's an emotional moment," Bentley said. Unfortunately, Clockwerk's head twitched as he roared both in his voice and in Neyla's voice.
"DIE INSECTS, DIE! MY HATE WILL SMASH YOU!"
"NEYLA!" Ben cried as Sly stopped his brother from running in blindly.
"Watch out! That thing's still kicking!"
"What are we gonna do?!"
Suddenly, Arpeggio spoke through the comms. "Boys! I know the secret of Clockwerk's immortal life! It's his Hate Chip! It's the source of all his power! If you can reach inside and pull it out, he will be at our mercy!"
"And I can save Neyla! Clockwerk hasn't fully assimilated her yet!" Ben said as Murray nodded his head.
"Then let's do a little open head surgery...I'll pry open that beak so that Bentley can go to town with his bombs and Ben can dive in and pull Neyla out of there!"
The Cooper Gang dodged Clockwerk's lasers and Murray grabbed his beak, lifting it up with all the strength he could muster as Ben gulped and dove down his throat.
"Careful, Ben! We can't risk Clockwerk assimilating you too!" Bentley cried as he began putting bombs all around Clockwerk's mouth in order to blast out his Hate Chip. Ben grunted as he crawled through the vast space of Clockwerk's soul, soon finding Neyla floating aimlessly.
"Neyla!" He cried as he swam over to her and reached his hand out to her.
"Why...? Why do this for me? I've betrayed you and your gang, I've betrayed everybody...why still give me a chance?"
"Because you weren't able to find friends like how Sly and I found Bentley and Murray! I understand it hurts to be alone, but you can start over! You just have to trust me!"
Neyla looked at Ben like he was insane before closing her eyes and sighing deeply, finally giving up then and there.
"You really are a crazy blighter, you know that?"
Ben smirked as he grabbed Neyla's hand. "I've heard a lot of people tell me that."
Ben began pulling Neyla out just as Bentley finished prying out the Hate Chip from Clockwerk's mouth.
"Guys, I've got her!" Ben cried as he and Neyla made their way out.
"Great! Let's get out of here! Clockwerk is about to explode!"
As Ben, Neyla, and Bentley began to escape, Clockwerk suddenly growled in pure fury.
"NO! I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY FINAL VICTORY OVER THE WRETCHED COOPER FAMILY!"
Ben's eyes widened as he noticed Clockwerk's beak about to fall down. He quickly pushed Neyla out of the way as the beak came down on him and Bentley. Bentley cried in pain as he was crushed underneath.
However, Ben, who was already mostly out, found his arm crushed underneath Clockwerk's beak. A vicious tearing sound was heard as he screamed bloody murder. Murray and Sly watched in horror at the sight of their two friends being injured by the vile metal owl's final desperate attack.
"BEN! BENTLEY! I'LL SAVE YOU!"
Neyla, who had regained her bearings, watched in horror as Murray lifted the beak up once more. Bentley whimpered in pain while Ben was clutching the bloody stump where his arm used to be.
"P-Pick me up, I can't walk!" Bentley said as Murray picked his turtle pal up while Sly grabbed Ben and got him in a fireman's carry. Neyla getting up to join the Cooper Gang.
"Come on, guys, let's get out of here!" Murray exclaimed as he, Sly, and Neyla carried Bentley and Ben to safety just as Clockwerk exploded.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The immortal owl roared in fury and defeat as his body was blasted apart by the force of the explosion, scattering across the rivers of Paris.
Carmelita flew down in her helicopter along with Arpeggio, witnessing the damage as Murray took off his scarf and used it to bind Ben's arm stump as best he could to stop the bleeding. Bentley was being held protectively by Sly as Neyla had an utterly broken look in her eyes at all of the horrors that had transpired.
"Oh, my lord..." Arpeggio whispered as he saw the devastation before approaching Neyla.
"I guess we both learned the true danger of Clockwerk's hatred the hard way."
Neyla could only stare at Ben, who had passed out from the shock of his injury. Murray had tightened his scarf as best he could around his bleeding stump and was looking at his human friend with tears in his eyes. Bentley had also passed out from the crushing injury to his back as Carmelita sighed before noticing the Hate Chip on the ground.
"I think this belongs to you, Cooper." The Fox Beastkin Policewoman said as Sly looked at the Hate Chip, the very soul of Clockwerk. The monster...the THING that had taken so much from him. His father, his mother, and now he had nearly taken both Bentley and Ben from him as well.
The Raccoon Thief held the Hate Chip in his hand and then slowly crushed it, making it slow as possible so that in some way, Clockwerk could feel his life slipping away once and for all.
Sure enough, as soon as Sly completely crushed the Hate Chip into tiny pieces, Clockwerk's agonizing screams echoed out of it, almost as if his soul was being yanked into Hell where it belonged. And just like that, it was over. Without that core piece, that essential center of Clockwerk, there was nothing left. The parts aged before everyone's eyes as if time had finally caught up with the ancient bird.
"Alas, it is truly a shame to witness the end of such a timeless marvel, even if it was a terrible evil on the world." Arpeggio lamented as Carmelita aimed her Shock Pistol at Sly.
"Cooper...I'm sorry about what you're going through, but you're all under arrest."
Sly, for once, gave the object of his affection a weary look. "Just me, Carmelita. Please...They've been through enough."
"Alas, I shall allow myself to be taken into custody as well," Arpeggio said. "The Klaww Gang's crimes all rest solely on my shoulders. I shall accept my punishment with dignity."
"Take me too...you have a right too..." Neyla said brokenly as Carmelita glared at the Tigress. She wanted so much then to just snap Neyla's neck right then and there, but after seeing the state Ben and Bentley were in and just how horribly traumatized Murray looked, she decided to be the bigger person.
"Fine, Ben, Murray, and Bentley can go. But I'm taking Cooper, Arpeggio, and Neyla."
As Sly, Arpeggio, and Neyla went quietly, Murray took off his mask and gloves while helping Bentley get rid of his hat and camo gear. They both then took Ben's mask off his eyes and placed it amongst the gear before Murray carried his two injured friends off, giving one last saddened look to Sly, who nodded reassuringly from afar.
*Sly POV*
Carmelita's old police unit soon arrived. With me, Arpeggio, and Neyla all in custody, her name was cleared, and she even got a well-deserved promotion. It was the least I could do.
The ride to HQ started with us sitting in silence, trying to read each other's thoughts. As the reality of my capture started to sink in, she began to relax, and we got to talking. We spoke freely about our previous adventures; comparing notes and even getting in a few laughs. Then we started talking about, well, everything; books, music, art. It was like we were on our very first date. She even showed me the bottle she'd been saving for this special occasion of my arrest.
Arpeggio and Neyla were both quiet throughout the whole thing. Neyla just looked absolutely broken while Arpeggio was making sense in his mind about everything that had culminated towards this moment. Despite what they had done along with the rest of the Klaww Gang, I couldn't help but feel bad for them, especially Neyla.
My heart sank when she realized that our short flight across town had already taken two hours, a fact I'd kinda clued into after seeing the Eiffel Tower float by seventeen times. She went forward to ask the pilot what was up, and it looked like my pals had left me a little going away present before taking off.
I took Neyla and jumped out of the chopper, taking the bottle with me as a little token of loving theft. Arpeggio opted to stay behind, however, as he felt he should accept his punishment.
As I flew down with Neyla clinging onto me like a lifeline, I looked back to see Carmelita smirking at me, already looking forward to the next time we'd play Cops & Robbers. Her lovely words following after being music to my ears.
"I'll be seeing you soon, Ringtail."
Next Time: Recovery
Sly and Neyla reunite with the rest of the gang to make sure that Bentley and Ben are okay. Afterward, things begin to change as the Cooper Gang must face a new moment in their lives.